Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to “silence” the parents of Ankita Bhandari, saying they were taken into custody at 4 am from India Gate, where they were protesting the appointment of Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dushyant Gautam as Sikkim governor.
Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal announced a one-hour silent fast in Dehradun the following day, saying the appointment deeply hurts the sentiments of the people of the state. Gautam was named governor on Monday.
“But the fight for justice will neither be silenced nor stopped.
“This is the hallmark of this government: silence the voices of the victims, remove those who ask questions,” Gandhi said in a post on X. “The Congress stands with Ankita Bhandari’s family, and will continue to stand until they get justice,” Gandhi said, turning a late-night detention into the party’s latest line of attack on the Centre.
Gautam, a former BJP national general secretary, has denied any link to the case. He moved the Delhi High Court, which directed the Congress and the AAP to remove social media posts connecting him to the death. CBI has not named anyone.
The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said the couple were sitting quietly to demand that Gautam should not be made governor until the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) completes its probe into the murder of their daughter, a 19-year-old resort receptionist from Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami recommended a CBI inquiry on January 9 this year. The agency took custody of the SIT report, the FIR and other records on February 4, and a case was registered against an unidentified VIP.
